The Cost of Loving Him Chapter 1

Our breakup six years ago was absolute poison.

Back when he loved me more than anything, I took a check for three million dollars from his mother. I ended the pregnancy, destroyed our future, and betrayed him in the worst way possible.

I remember him kneeling outside the operating room, begging me through the door not to be so cruel.

He told me then that he would hate me for the rest of his life.

Now, six years later, fate has brought us back together. He has a gorgeous, high-society fiancée, and they are about to get married.

Meanwhile, I’m at rock bottom, forced to swallow my pride and beg him for a loan.

Instead of a check, he gave me an ultimatum: attend his wedding. He wants me to watch with my own eyes as he makes another woman his wife.

He asked me if I regretted it.

What he doesn't know is that I didn’t end the pregnancy. I’ve been secretly raising our child alone.

And now, our son is sick. If I don't get this money, he's going to die.

* * *

Six years after I wrecked his life, ran into Caleb Vance at the absolute lowest point of mine.

It was a college reunion. No one expected him to show up.

Someone made a joke, asking, "Mr. Vance, you haven’t kept in touch with any of us for years. Did you finally decide to come back because you heard Maya was going to be here?"

I was sitting in a dark corner, my entire body going rigid. I looked up and saw Caleb through a cloud of cigarette smoke. He was looking at me, his expression pure ice.

Everyone in that room knew how obsessed Caleb used to be with me.

He was the scion of a wealthy, powerful family, but he fell for a scholarship kid like me instantly.

Back then, he actually cut ties with his family for me. He gave up the trust fund, the connections, everything, just to fight for a life with me.

We lived in a tiny, roach-infested studio apartment. We split boxes of ramen and shared cheap coffee. Life was brutal, but we were happy because we were together.

During those long, intimate nights, we’d lock fingers and swear we’d never let go.

Until I found out I was pregnant.

That was when his mother showed up with a check for three million dollars. Her offer was simple: get an abortion, leave Caleb, and never look back.

The day I made my choice, Caleb was on his knees outside the clinic, screaming and slamming his fists against the operating room door.

Over and over, he begged me, his voice cracking with tears.

"Baby, please! I’ll work harder. I’ll make more money. I’ll support us. I swear I’ll make three million dollars a hundred times over just for you to spend, okay?"

"I’m begging you, don't do this to me. Don't do this to our baby..."

I lay on that cold operating table, biting my lip until it bled, forcing myself not to make a sound.

Through that thin wooden door, I listened to Caleb scream that he would hate me for eternity.